Titles and Styles of the Fidenzan Monarch
The Monarch of Fidenza '''possesses numerous titles of varying importance, many of them being titular styles to increase the prestige or religious standing of the King. One such example of this is the Fidenzan monarch being known as ''King of Jerusalem, a merely ceremonial title granted by Pope Benedict XII to King Ercole II in 1340, in reward for his services to Christendom through his wars. Other such examples of ceremonial titles which hold little bearing or authority include the title of ''Defender of the Faith, ''which was granted to King Cesare VII by Pope Clement X in 1670. Some of the titles of the monarch do claim territorial jurisdiction, however, such as ''Rex Italiae ''and ''King of Fidenza. ''The title of the King or Queen is ''His/Her Most Catholic Majesty, ''though it is commonly varied as ''His/Her Most August Christian Majesty, ''or simply ''His/Her Royal Majesty. '' Full Titles Kings-Regnant '"His Most August and Christian Majesty, by the Grace of God, Most High, Most Excellent, Most Potent, name, King of Fidenza and of Italy, King of Croatia, King of the Slovenes, King of Sardinia and Corsica, Catholic King of Jerusalem, King of Naples and of Sicily, King of Romagna, Sovereign Prince of Monaco, Prince of the Romans, Grand Duke of Modena and of Reggio, of Ferrara and of Malta, Duke of Milan, of Parma, of Provence, of Savoy, of Aosta, of Corsica, of Sardinia, of Montferrat and of Fiano, Marquis of Oristano, of Mandas, of Terranova, of Villasor, of Albis, of Piedmont, of Aosta, of Capua and of Savoy, Hereditary Margrave of Milan and Imperial Vicar, Sovereign of all Italy, Successor of Rome and Byzantium, Lord of the Americas and of India, Defender of the True Faith and Voice of the Lord." Queens-Regnant "Her Most August and Christian Majesty, by the Grace of God, Most High, Most Excellent, Most Potent, name, Queen of Fidenza and of Italy, Queen of Croatia, Queen of the Slovenes, Queen of Sardinia and Corsica, Catholic Queen of Jerusalem, Queen of Naples and of Sicily, Queen of Romagna, Sovereign Princess of Monaco, Princess of the Romans, Grand Duchess of Modena and of Reggio, of Ferrara and of Malta, Duchess of Milan, of Parma, of Provence, of Savoy, of Aosta, of Corsica, of Sardinia, of Montferrat and of Fiano, Marchese of Oristano, of Mandas, of Terranova, of Villasor, of Albis, of Piedmont, of Aosta, of Capua and of Savoy, Hereditary Margravine of Milan, Sovereign Lady of the Italians, Lady of the Americas and of India, Lady Protector of Christendom." Queens-Consort "Her Most Christian Majesty, name, Queen-Consort of Fidenza and of Italy, Queen of Croatia, Queen of the Slovenes, of Sardinia and of Corsica, Queen-Consort of Jerusalem, Queen of Naples and of Sicily, Queen of Romagna, Princess-Consort of Monaco, Grand Duchess of Modena and of Reggio, of Ferrara and of Malta, Duchess of Milan, of Parma, of Provence, of Savoy, of Aosta, of Corsica, of Sardinia, of Montferrat and of Fiano, Marchese of Oristano, of Mandas, of Terranova, of Villasor, of Albis, of Piedmont, of Aosta, of Capua and of Savoy and Margravine-Consort of Milan." Kings-Consort "His Most Christian Majesty, name, King-Consort of Fidenza and of Italy, King-Consort of Croatia, King-Consort of the Slovenes, of Sardinia and of Corsica, King-Consort of Jerusalem, King-Consort of Naples and of Sicily, King-Consort of Romagna, Prince-Consort of Monaco, Grand Duke-Consort of Modena and of Reggio, of Ferrara and of Malta, Duke-Consort of Milan, of Parma, of Provence, of Savoy, of Aosta, of Corsica, of Sardinia, of Montferrat and of Fiano, Marquis-Consort of Oristano, of Mandas, of Terranova, of Villasor, of Albis, of Piedmont, of Aosta, of Capua and of Savoy and Margrave-Consort of Milan." Special Titles Imperial Vicar Imperial Vicar is a style in the Holy Roman Empire for a Prince of the Empire who exercises authority over part of or all of the Holy Roman Empire. This style is a remnant from the time when the House of Este controlled the Margravate of Milan and were Imperial Vicars of Italy beneath the Holy Roman Empire. In a modern sense, the style continues to be claimed by the Kings of Fidenza to emphasise superiority over even the Holy Roman Emperor, though no practical authority is derived from the title. Successor of Rome and Byzantium This title was first claimed by King Lorenzo II in the aftermath of the Fall of Constantinople, in 1453. With the end of the Eastern Roman Empire, Lorenzo II made the claim that Fidenza was the Third Rome. This was disputed by other claimants, such as Moscow which was called the Third Rome by some. Due to their power in Europe, however, the Este Kings succeeded in claiming the title of successor to the Roman Emperors, though this holds absolutely no practical authority and is merely a prestigious and titular title upheld by the authority of the King. Lord/Lady of the Americas This title was claimed by Queen Maria II in 1520, after the first Fidenzan colony in the Caribbean was established and began to exercise authority in the area. After further expansion in the region and some pushing into the region now known as Mexico, the Queen claimed overlordship of all of America, as it was now becoming known. This claim led to a series of bloody wars with Spain, who also claimed sovereignty over the Americas, which was later rectified by the papacy. Despite the peace, the King or Queen still retains the title of Lord or Lady of the Americas. Lord/Lady of India This title holds no practical authority. It was given to King Francesco IV after he declared his intention to conquer and convert India to Christianity. While Francesco IV did attempt an invasion into India, it failed laughably and the King was forced to return to Fidenza in shame. Nonetheless, Francesco refused to give up his claim on overlordship of Italy, with an intention to invade again and actually conquer the Indian subcontinent. Before he could exercise his new plan, he would die and be succeeded by his 5-year-old son, leading to no military engagements. Nonetheless, the style is still included in the title of the monarch. ''Rex Italiae ''and Sovereign of all Italy Both of these titles were claimed by King Cesare I upon his coronation in the town of Fidenza after the wars of unification. The title of Rex Italiae ''literally translates to ''Italian King, ''with the title literally stating that the King is one of true Italian heritage, unlike many previous foreign Kings of Italy, such as the Lombards and the Carolingian Franks. Nonetheless, ''Rex Italiae ''literally goes back to the roots of the first Kingdom of Italy formed by Odoacer, who claimed this title himself after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This shows a continuation between Rome and Italy, binding them as one. Sovereign of all Italy claims overlordship of the entire Italian peninsula, with the statement being made that no other independent state is allowed to exist on the peninsula due to the Fidenzan King's hegemony over all of Italy. '''Catholic King of Jerusalem' This title was granted by Pope Benedict XII to King Ercole II in 1340, in celebration of the latter's numerous wars in North Africa against the Islamic berbers which had began to take power there. The title holds no territorial jurisdiction, due to the fact that Jerusalem remains in the hands of the Ottoman Empire and has not been held by any Fidenzan monarch aside from Alfonso II, who actually sailed into Jerusalem and occupied the city for two months. Alfonso found himself unable to hold the city and the Kingdom, however, fleeing back to Fidenza with his army in tow when a combined Islamic force which outnumbered them encircled the city. Nonetheless, the title of King of Jerusalem is still claimed by the King of Fidenza and has been so since 1340, without dispute from other monarchs. Defender of the True Faith/Lady Protector of Christendom This title was granted to the Boy-King Cesare VII in 1670, immediately upon his ascension to the throne. This title was granted by Pope Clement X in celebration of a new King of Fidenza after the disastrous reign of King Francesco IV. Clement X also wished to further bind Fidenza to the church and hoped that such an honour would help mould the Boy-King into a devout Christian, which would work. Defender of the Faith has been decreed to be a hereditary style bestowed upon the Fidenzan monarchy from hence forth, though King Cesare's heir is his daughter and as such the style will become ''Lady Protector of Christendom ''when she should ascend to the throne, due to restrictions on the title of Defender of the Faith. Nonetheless, should Princess Maria Lucrezia have a son, he will ascend to the throne and resume the title of Defender of the Faith. Voice of the Lord This title holds no true authority; it is merely one of prestige and self-inflation. It was claimed by Francesco III, the husband and co-ruler of Queen Maria II, they were both extremely devout. In claiming this title, King Francesco was claiming that he was speaking for God himself in his decisions, which massively inflated the influence of the crown, if not bend the purpose of Christianity and the will of God. The use of this title remains a controversial issue to this day, though with a dispensation from Pope Clement X, the present monarchs continue to claim the style of Voice of the Lord. Styles of Address of the Extended Royal Family